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Driver hears Amber Alert on car radio, sees vehicle right in front of him

Steve Adams called 9-1-1 when he realized the car driving in front of him yesterday was at the centre of an Amber Alert for an abducted 2-year-old girl.
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(John Spink/AP/Atlanta Journal Constitution)
As It Happens6:30Ohio driver's quick response to Amber Alert leads to arrest of murder suspect

At first, Steve Adams thought it was just a really creepy coincidence.

Adams was driving in his car when an Amber Alert came over the radio. But as he was listening, he realized the car right in front of him was the one police were looking for and he sprung into action.
Steve Adams called 9-1-1 when he realized the car driving in front of him was at the centre of an Amber Alert for an abducted 2-year-old girl. (Steve Adams)

Adams describes the moment he made the connection to As It Happens host Carol Off:

Carol Off: Steve, when you were driving in your car yesterday, can you just describe the Amber Alert you heard on the radio.

Steve Adams: An Amber Alert came on with the loud noises that it does and it described an Amber Alert out of Knoxville, Tennessee that had been seen in Lebanon, Ohio. That a bald man was driving a black in colour Chevy Impala and that he had abducted a child and possibly murdered the child's mother or his wife.

CO: So you heard that and at what point did you think that you were actually right behind the car they were looking for?

SA: About two minutes later, off to my right coming up the off-ramp from the freeway, was a black in colour Chevy sedan with a bald guy driving, mid thirties, and it matched the description and I kind of thought to myself 'that's pretty crazy.' I took another look and I noticed that the car didn't have a front license plate on it and a lot of our southern states you don't have to have a front license plate so that's when it actually piqued my interest.

CO: And then what did you see?

SA: He actually turned behind me and another car and I had to know so I pulled off at a gas station that was just off the road a little ways. As he went by I noticed that it did have Tennessee plates. I couldn't get the number. So, at the point I pulled back out and there was a car between me and him and I started dialling 9-1-1.

CO: Did you see this little girl? The two-year-old who was supposed to be in the car?

SA: No. I did not see anybody else in the car until much [after] following him.


This interview has been edited for length and clarity.


The Knoxville Police Department have released a statement saying that Tyler Ward Enix was arrested and that his two-year-old daughter is safe. Enix is currently in an Ohio jail but will be extradited to Tennessee and charged with first-degree murder.

To hear the full interview, including Adams 9-1-1 phone call, please click on the Listen audio link above.

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